Recharge recently called this “one of floating wind’s biggest opportunities” and emphasized the need for “development of small-scale floating projects to make larger wind farms more cost-effective.”

Well, now is the time to seize that opportunity.

What Enova is looking for

This program specifically supports projects designed to mature technology in the final stage before commercial deployment. It also aims to test and verify how multiple technologies and solutions perform together in an integrated system. Only projects where significant costs are tied to physical investments and installation qualify for funding.

How the competition will be decided

Enova will select winners based on two weighted criteria:

70% — Cost efficiency: Annual energy production per krone of support
30% — Innovation and dissemination potential: The ability to contribute to the transition toward 2050

Projects must also consist of roughly one to five turbines, have a full-lifecycle plan, and target start-up within five years.

METCentre happy to expand it's turbine family

Cecilia Girard-Vika, Director at the METCentre, are more than happy to speak with potential applicants wanting to do their small-scale project at the test centre:

Enova is opening the door for the next generation of offshore wind technology, and METCentre is ready to receive the projects. With an investment-ready demonstration site offering capacity for up to 82.7 MW of installed power production, we can facilitate the development of new concepts across the entire floating wind supply chain. This will reduce both costs and risks for future floating wind farms and help move the industry in the right direction.

For the floating wind industry, this announcement brings not just clarity, but renewed energy and optimism entering a pivotal year for floating offshore wind.

Norwegian Offshore Wind CEO Arvid Nesse’s immediate analysis is that Enova is targeting applicants ready to test their technology as a final draft before scaling up into major commercial projects:

When we look at the criteria, it’s clear that Enova is seeking applicants who are serious about offshore wind, have solid financing behind them, and intend to use a small-scale project as a stepping stone to learn and cut cost before going toward something larger. Either way, this is excellent news and an important opportunity for the offshore wind industry.

For more information about the call, see Enova’s official press release (in Norwegian) and the program page (also in Norwegian).

Norway news

Turbine family could soon expand at METCentre